search
IRMAA
Trends
- 1Earning $1 Over $109,000 Triggers $974 Medicare Surcharge▼$1 Over $109,000 on Your 2024 Return Costs $974 in Medicare Surcharges in 2026. Medicare Doesn't Round Down
Financial outlet 24/7 Wall St. warns that crossing the $109,000 income threshold on a 2024 tax return by even $1 can cost $974 in extra Medicare surcharges in 2026, because Medicare does not round income figures down. The item highlights how sharply cliff-based Medicare IRMAA penalties can hit middle-income retirees who nudge just past a bracket line.
- 2Selling a home after 35 years could raise her Medicare premiums▼At 63, She'll Sell the House She's Owned for 35 Years. The $180,000 of Gain Left After the Exclusion Will Set Her First Medicare Premium at 65
A 63-year-old homeowner planning to sell a house she has owned for 35 years is being warned that roughly $180,000 of gain left after the capital gains exclusion will count as income and push up her first Medicare premium at 65. The case highlights how a one-time home sale can trigger the income-related premium surcharge two years later.
- 3Retirees urged to file SSA-44 in October to fix 2027 IRMAA early▼Retirees Who File SSA-44 in October With an Income Estimate Can Get 2027 IRMAA Fixed Before January. Wait for the Notice and the Refund Chase May Come Instead
Personal finance commentators are advising Medicare beneficiaries whose income will drop in 2027 to submit Form SSA-44 to the Social Security Administration in October with a documented income estimate. Filing early, they argue, lets the lower income-related monthly adjustment amount be applied before January premiums take effect, rather than waiting for a determination notice and then pursuing a refund of overpaid Medicare premiums.
- 4Refinery retiree's badly timed house sale raised his Medicare bills▼He Retired From the Refinery on December 31. Closing on the House Two Days Earlier Put the Gain on His Last Full Salary and Raised Both Medicare Bills
An oil refinery worker retired on December 31, but closed on the sale of his house two days earlier, meaning the capital gain landed on his final full year of salary income. Because Medicare surcharges (IRMAA) are calculated from income two years prior, the spike raised both his Medicare Part B and Part D premiums. The story is being shared as a cautionary example of how year-end timing of a big sale can quietly inflate retirement healthcare costs.
- 5Seller-Financed Business Sale Could Trigger Years of Medicare Surcharges▼He Is Selling the Business on a Five-Year Note to Spread the Tax. Medicare Can Turn the Installments Into Years of Surcharges
A retirement planning warning is drawing attention: a business owner selling his company on a five-year installment note to spread out capital gains taxes may be walking into a trap. Because installment payments count as income each year, they could keep him above the income thresholds for Medicare's high-earner surcharges, turning a tax-spreading strategy into years of higher premiums.
- 6How to draw $48,000 a year from a $1.2 million 401(k) tax-efficiently▼How a 63-Year-Old Can Pull $48,000 a Year From a $1.2 Million 401(k) Without Triggering IRMAA or Taxing Social Security
Financial commentators are outlining a retirement withdrawal strategy for a 63-year-old with a $1.2 million 401(k) who wants $48,000 a year in income. The plan focuses on keeping taxable income low enough to avoid higher Medicare IRMAA premiums and prevent Social Security benefits from being taxed once claims begin. It highlights ongoing interest among near-retirees in sequencing withdrawals and managing income thresholds.